For episode six of Around the World in 80 Dates, we headed to South Korea. Korean cuisine has become one of my absolute favourites, with its perfect balance of sweet, savoury, spicy and crispy flavours, so this date night was one I was especially excited about.
This menu was inspired by some of South Korea's most iconic dishes. We started with the famous Korean corn dogs, featuring both sausage and gooey mozzarella, followed by ultra crispy Korean fried chicken coated in a sticky gochujang glaze. For our main course, we made a colourful bibimbap with marinated steak, fresh vegetables and a fried egg. And for dessert, we attempted a mango bingsu.
Starter - Korean Corn dogs
Ingredients
4 frankfurter sausages
4 mozzarella slices
Pinch of salt
150g flour
200ml warm water
7g dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
½ potato
1 tablespoon cornflour
To serve
Pinch of sugar
Ketchup
Yellow mustard
Method
Add the sugar and dried yeast to the warm water and leave for 5 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy.
In a deep bowl or container, combine the flour and salt before pouring in the yeast mixture. Stir until smooth, then cover and either refrigerate overnight or leave at room temperature for around 2 hours until risen. If chilled overnight, leave the batter at room temperature for 15 minutes before using.
Thread each frankfurter onto a skewer, then wrap a mozzarella slice around the sausage, pressing the end firmly to seal. Place seam-side down on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes so the cheese stays in place.
Meanwhile, place panko breadcrumbs onto a plate. Peel the potato and cut it into very small cubes. Boil for 4 minutes, drain well and allow to dry before patting completely dry with kitchen paper. Toss the potato cubes with the cornflour.
Dip each sausage into the batter, twisting until fully coated, before rolling in the panko breadcrumbs. For potato corn dogs, gently press the potato cubes into the outside before frying.
Heat vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry two or more corn dogs at a time, turning occasionally until golden and crisp all over.
Drain briefly, sprinkle with a pinch of sugar, then drizzle generously with ketchup and yellow mustard before serving.
Starter - Korean Fried Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
400g chicken thighs
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
Salt and pepper
Coating
150g flour
100g cornflour
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion granules
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon paprika
150ml water
Glaze
2 tablespoon gochujang
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
To finish
Sesame seeds
Spring onions
Method
Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and place them into a bowl. Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and a little salt and pepper, then leave to marinate while preparing the coating.
Combine all of the dry coating ingredients in a bowl. Transfer half of the dry mixture into a separate container.
Add the water to the remaining dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Add the chicken and stir until every piece is coated.
Working in batches, transfer the battered chicken into the reserved dry coating and toss until evenly coated.
Heat vegetable oil over a medium-high heat and fry the chicken until golden and cooked through. Remove from the oil, leave to rest for a minute, then fry for a second time for around one minute until extra crispy.
Meanwhile, add the gochujang, garlic, ketchup, honey, soy sauce and sesame oil to a small saucepan. Heat gently until smooth and glossy.
Toss the crispy chicken through the glaze before finishing with sesame seeds and finely sliced spring onions.
Main Course - Bibimbap
Ingredients
Steak
1 ribeye steak
1 tablespoon bibimbap sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
Vegetables
1 carrot
1 courgette
Handful of bean sprouts
80g spinach
5 mushrooms
Extras
2 eggs
2 tablespoon bibimbap sauce
Sesame seeds
Spring onions
Method
Mix together the bibimbap sauce, soy sauces, sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper before coating the steak. Leave to marinate while preparing the vegetables.
Cut the carrot and courgette into thin matchsticks and slice the mushrooms.
Steam the bean sprouts and spinach in the microwave until just wilted.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and cook the carrot and courgette with a little salt and pepper until just tender. Remove from the pan, then cook the mushrooms with a drizzle of sesame oil, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Turn the heat up high and cook the marinated steak for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently until beautifully browned and lightly charred.
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions and fry the eggs until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny.
To assemble, add the rice to the bottom of each bowl before arranging each vegetable in neat sections around the outside. Top with the steak, fried egg, a generous drizzle of bibimbap sauce, sesame seeds and sliced spring onions.
Dessert - Mango Bingsu
Mango bingsu is a popular Korean dessert made with finely shaved ice, sweet mango and condensed milk. Unfortunately, my version didn't quite make the cut this time, so rather than pretending otherwise, I'd recommend following a dedicated mango bingsu recipe if you'd like to finish your South Korean date night with something sweet!
This was easily one of my favourite Around the World in 80 Dates evenings so far. Between the stretchy cheese-filled corn dogs, the unbelievably crispy fried chicken and the colourful bibimbap, every dish brought something completely different to the table. If you've been wanting to recreate a Korean food experience at home
